The Shifting Dead
by Chasyn
Summary: <html><head></head>Rick wakes up alone, cuffed to a hospital bed. Lori's a bigger bitch. Shane is louder than before. Sophia survives. Daryl's still awesome and secretly a softy. And there's still lots of zombies. And animals. And oh yeah, they're all animal shapeshifters. Mostly. Eventual Rick/Daryl. (First time trying something like this. So let's see what happens.)</html>
1. Days Gone Bye

**Disclaimer**: Own nothing. At all. Well technically I own a car. But I don't drive on roads. I only drive through houses. It's my brother's car.  
><strong>Warnings and Notes<strong>: M for language, zombies, yucky zombie related stuff, and light sexual non-porny scenes much, much later on. Gays, lesbians, straights. Also major character death. Animal shifters and zombies. Basically a retelling of the entire series with mostly everyone as shifters. Kind of a cross between shifters and weres, actually. Only shift into one animal but can do so at will, having nothing to do with moon cycles. Also, they have tails in their human forms. Because Rick with a doggy tail is hot. Will sort of follow the TV show, with a few things changed and left out. Also, first Walking Dead story and first shifter story. Also, I hate Lori. Oh so much. If I could rip her to shreds in the first chapter, I would. But then there would be no Lil' Asskicker. And that would make Daryl sad. So yes. Lori bashing.  
><strong>Pairings<strong>: Eventually Rick/Daryl. Mentions of Rick/Lori, Shane/Lori, Daryl/Carol, Michonne/Andrea. Glenn/Maggie, of course.

**The Walking Dead: The Shifting Dead  
><strong>**Episode 1: Days Gone Bye**

"Lori wants a divorce." He said it a loud. He put it out there, into the world. He couldn't take it back. He leaned back against the seat and stared up at the roof of the police cruiser they were sitting in. They'd been on break, catching a quick lunch before something tore them away.

The man beside him, his best friend and partner, Shane, looked over at him. He swallowed the french-fry he's been chewing on and frowned but didn't look surprised. "She tell you that?" He asked slowly.

Rick wondered briefly if Lori had told Shane, if they had discussed this. If so, why hadn't Shane warned him? They were friends, brothers. Rick pushed the feeling away. Shane _was_ his friend, his brother. He wouldn't keep something like that from him. "No, not exactly." Rick said. "I came home last night earlier than I told her. I wasn't trying to sneak in but… she didn't hear me… she was on the phone with someone in the kitchen… a friend, her mother… a fucking lawyer for all I know. But she was asking about filing for divorce. How long it would take and how much money. And then about fighting for custody." He sighed and shook his head. "Fighting, Shane! For custody! I just… I don't understand! I don't know what I did to make her hate me so much."

Shane shook his head slowly. "She doesn't hate you, man."

Rick glanced over at him. "She wants a divorce and she wants to take my pup from me. Certainly sounds like she hates me."

"You don't know the whole story." Shane shook his head again, picking at the fries. "She could have been talking to anyone about anything."

Rick let out a sharp, bitter laugh. "Kind of hard to miss the words divorce and custody."

"She could have been asking for a friend."

Rick rolled his eyes and would have argued more but a voice came over their radio. Emergency assistance requested. He didn't get the change to question his wife.

**-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-**

Eyes fluttered open, blinking in the bright light filtering in the window. Momentarily, eyes and brain weren't working together. They weren't connecting correctly. His eyes saw the stark light, the dying flowers, the dead monitors. His ears as well weren't connecting. Voices around him he's been hearing echoed. His brain showed him his partner and he heard the man laugh, some joke about work.

He let out his own sharp laugh, a raspy cough following. His throat was weak, his voice unused. "Yeah and last year, when you showed up to the station's Halloween party all wolfed out and dropped that bloody… bone…" His eyes finally began to focus on his surroundings correctly. Alone. He was alone. Hadn't he... didn't he just…

He turned his head, craning his neck. "Shane?" He called out loudly. "You takin' a piss or something'?" He didn't get an answer. "Shane?" He stilled and strained his ears. All they brought him was silence. He waited a few more minutes before hitting his call button. "Nurse!" He croaked out. "Nurse help!" Nothing.

His eyes shifted again and he noticed the monitors, the machines helping to keep him alive… weren't. No beeping, whirling, anything. He moved to sit up and something stopped him. He looked over. His right wrist was handcuffed to a metal bar on the bed. Thick, heavy iron cuffs, specially made for those like him. He frowned at them. He rolled on his right side and felt along the bar. It wiggled a bit as he pulled on it. It wasn't the most stable. Temporary? Was it some cautionary thing? Something to keep him from getting up?

His fingers grazed over something and he twisted it. He twisted it again and the loose screw loosened more. A few more turns and he pulled it away. He let it fall and slipped the cuffs from the bar. He rubbed at his wrist where the metal was touching him. It wasn't painful exactly, just annoying. The iron reacted with his skin, made it impossible for him to shift, not that he even thought he could in his condition.

Gingerly, he pulled himself up, staggering a bit. He leaned against the bed, trying to get his bearings. He took a deep breath and staggered to the door. He leaned against it for a moment, catching his breath. He leaned his forehead against the cool metal of the door and closed his eyes. His tail drooped. He could smell the stale air, sense the emptiness behind the door. Some dream… some bad dream he needed to wake up from.

He pushed off the door and grabbed the knob. He pulled it open and pushed the stretcher blocking it out of the way. He stumbled down the hall and the stench of death hit him. He coughed and covered his mouth. A noise behind him, a groan, and he spun around. A girl sat on the floor, a blood splatter on the wall behind her head. It looked like she'd been shot. Blood and dirt clung to her. Her eyes were hollow and her skin… Rick swallowed the bile rising in his throat. And then she turned her head towards him and lifted her decaying arms. Rick's eyes widened and he stumbled back. She was alive? How was she alive?

Another groan behind him and there was another one. Rick bit back a scream and pushed past them, trying not to touch them. He came to the end of the hall and the doors were barricaded. The sign above read Cafeteria. But on the doors, the words, DON'T OPEN DEAD INSIDE were spray painted on. As he stood there, staring at the door, long gray fingers slipped between the doors, trying to grab at the thick chain and padlock.

Rick staggered back and turned down another hall. After a few minutes, he finally reached the entrance and staggered out. The sun was bright and warm on his skin. He blinked and lifted his hand to shield his eyes. The parking lot was full of… he turned away. He didn't want to see that. All the bodies… head down, he hurried down the road. He slowed a bit as he cut across a small park.

She was lying on her stomach, reaching for him. Just a torso, her spinal column and intestines dragging along the ground behind her. Rick bit back the impulse to vomit, even though he doubted anything would come out.

He hurried along the road, as fast as he could. He slowed as he tired, rested for a moment, and set off again. He never stopped long. Every time he did those things…

He shivered involuntarily and let out a huge sigh. His house loomed in front of him. It looked perfect, like the last time he'd seen it. He ran through the yard and leapt up on the porch. The front door was left unlocked and he ripped it open. "Carl? Lori?"

**-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-**

The day he met Lori was the day his and Shane's school was closed down and every kid in their small town was bused to the high school in the next town over. Actually, Lori was the first human Rick had ever met. He had never left the small town he and Shane had grown up in before then. It was a small shifter only town and his parents had been wary of humans, for good reasons they told him. Rick had grown up hearing horror stories from his grandpa. His grandpa would turn around, show him the ragged stump, and tell him the story of how a group of humans had cut off his tail. Humans were horrible, awful creatures who would shoot him as soon as they saw his tail.

Rick never thought himself a coward. But that first day the bus drove up to the human high school, he slouched down in his seat, afraid to look out the window at the humans. Shane, on the other hand, was excited. He moment the bus stopped, he grabbed Rick's hand and pulled him from his seat of safety and pushed him forward. Rick wanted to open his mouth and ask that if Shane was so excited, why wasn't he the one going first? But he didn't want to admit that he was scared to his fearless friend.

"That's the shifter bus, isn't it?" An excited female voice filtered in as they neared the door.

"Lori! Don't get too close! They're dangerous!" A second female said. Rick rolled his eyes and bit his lip.

"They look so normal!" A third said. "How can we tell the difference?"

"Don't you pay attention in biology?" The first voice, she'd been called Lori, said. "They all have tails. Like dogs."

Rick bristled, the fur on his tail standing straight up. They didn't all have tails! They weren't all dogs! And they weren't all dangerous! Who the fuck was this human who… He stomped down the stairs of the bus, glaring. And he saw her.

Dark hair, dark eyes, she was standing a few feet away. She held her books against her chest and she smiled widely. Her two friends had fled the moment Rick appeared in the doorway. But she remained. "Hi!" She stepped forward and thrust her hand out towards him. "I'm Lori."

Rick stared at her for a moment. Then he slowly and cautiously took her hand. "Rick." He said softly. Shane cleared his throat behind him and Rick smiled. "This is my friend, Shane."

Lori glanced around him at Shane for a moment. "Hi." Then she turned her attention back to Rick. "We have 20 minutes before classes start. Can I show you around?"

Rick nodded slowly. "Yeah. That'd be… fine."

"Great!" She shifted her books over to her left arm and reached for his arm with her right. "So… Rick… you're the first shifter I've met."

He laughed. "You're the first human I've met."

"Really?" She pulled up and turned towards him. "How's that possible?"

Rick shrugged and looked down. "I ain't ever left home."

She nodded slowly. "So… do you… can I… see it?" She was trying to be polite. Her eyes where always on his, she never looked down or tried to get behind him. And he instantly liked her for it. He shrugged and turned slightly. His brown and black tail curled up but was still, a bit nervous. "That is so cool!" She squealed. His tail wagged a bit and she giggled and he turned back around, a slight blush creeping up his neck. And she giggled again. "It's cute. What is it?"

Rick was about to answer happily when Shane stomped forward. "It…" He snapped, clearly way more offended than Rick was. "Is a German Shepherd. HE is a German Shepherd. Not an it."

"Shane!" Rick snapped.

Lori glared at him. "And what are you? An asshole dog?"

"Wolf." Shane growled.

If Lori was the least bit intimidated, she didn't show it. She turned back to Rick and they started walking again. "So a German Shepherd? Like a domestic pet?"

"Pet?" Shane was still behind them, still riled up.

"Yes." Rick said quickly, trying to cut Shane off. "Like a pet one. Just… bigger. And… sort of smarter."

"I didn't know shifters came in domesticated animals." Lori said, sounding genuinely interested. "All they teach us is about wolves." She inclined her head back a bit, gesturing to Shane.

Rick laughed. "It's because wolves are the loudest."

"Fuck you!" Shane growled.

"The wolf gene is usually more dominate." Rick continued on, ignoring his friend for the moment. "So yeah, wolves are more common among the mammal shifters."

"So both your parents were domesticated then? Shepherds?"

Rick shook his head. "Mom is. Dad's wolf. It happens sometimes. It's rare." He shrugged. "Just got the short end of the stick."

Her smile widened. "I don't think so."

She was something new, something different and unexpected. Something exotic. And Rick fell hard. Lori was his life, his everything. And she was fascinated by everything about him, his family, his culture. They got married as soon as they could and Lori gave birth to a son. And that tiny puppy became Rick's life, his everything. And slowly, Lori began pulling away. Rick didn't want to think it was jealousy. How could a mom be jealous of her pup? But she was just always pissed at him. He never did anything right anymore.

"Talk." She said one night after Carl had gone to bed.

Rick had returned from a late night at work. It had been a long, bad day. He was beyond exhausted. He just wanted to lie down and sink into the mattress and sleep for days. He turned to her, saw the anger in her eyes, and turned away quickly. He rubbed at his forehead and sighed. "Not now, Lori. Please." He didn't hide the begging in his voice.

"No!" She snapped. "You won't talk to me. All I hear from you is later."

He sighed and shook his head. "It's been a long day."

"Rick! You stupid dog!" She hissed under her breath.

His tail twitched, irritated for a moment, then it stilled and drooped. He was too exhausted to fight with her.

"Talk, yell, scream, call me a bitch if I'm being one. Just something!"

"Mom? Dad?"

Rick looked up as Carl appeared in the doorway. Damn her for yelling and waking him up. Rick offered his son a small smile. "Everything's fine." He said with a nod. "Go back to bed."

Lori shook her head. "Sometimes I wonder if you even care about us at all."

Rick's eyes widened and he glared at her. She looked from Rick to Carl and her own eyes widened, like she hadn't meant to say it out loud. He shook his head, turned his back on her, and reached out to Carl. He patted his son on the head and spun him around. "Back to bed."

Carl latched onto his arm tightly.

**-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-**

He turned and stepped back outside and fell to the ground. Their house was empty. Carl… Lori… everyone. He'd woken up to some nightmare… He heard a gunshot and turned around. His eyes widened as he saw the kid. "Carl?" Everything suddenly went black.

It didn't last for long. A few minutes, maybe more. And then he was opening his eyes again and there was a man in his face. "Were you bit?" The man asked forcefully.

Rick blinked. He was having trouble focusing on the man bending down in front of him. He tried to lift his hand and found both tied to the headboard of the bed he was in. Damnit. Cuffed again. He let out a sigh and blinked again.

"I'mma give you one more chance to answer me." The man practically spit at him. "Were you bit?"

"Bit?" Rick repeated.

"Your wound." He said. "What's your wound? Were you bit?"

Rick shook his head. "No, I wasn't bit. I got shot."

"Shot." The man repeated. "That all?"

Rick nodded. "I just got shot."

"You mind if I look?"

Rick wasn't in any position to say no. He shrugged and laid his head back down on the pillow. He remained still except for the occasionally twitch of his tail.

The unknown man began peeling back his bandage. After thoroughly checking the wound, he moved on to check Rick's legs, feet, arms, back, everywhere. He man pulled back. He let out a sigh and cocked a small smile. Relief. "You can't be too careful anymore." He pulled a knife out of his pocket. "You uh… you try anything, I won't hesitate to kill you."

Rick watched him and nodded slightly.

The man bent forward and cut the ropes from his wrist. "Sorry, couldn't get the cuffs off."

Rick rolled on his side, hugging his wrists to his check. He rubbed where the metal touched his skin again. "I don't doubt it." Rick mumbled out. "Police issue. Not supposed to come off easy."

The man let out a laugh and leaned back against the wall. "No, guess not. Name's Morgan. My son you met briefly, Duane."

"Rick." He offered, rolling over and sitting up.

"So Rick. You don't seem like you know what's going on."

Rick shrugged. He didn't. "I woke up in the hospital." He said slowly.

Morgan nodded. "You've seen the dead people?"

Rick nodded.

Morgan shook his head. "Not just the ones they put down. The ones that came back."

Rick glanced sideways at him. "That man you shot?"

Morgan narrowed his eyes and shook his head. "That wasn't a man."

"I knew him." Rick said softly. "He lived down the street."

"Before, maybe. But not anymore. Wasn't a man. Was a walker."

Walker. Rick ran a hand through his hair. "What… what happened?"

Morgan stared at him a moment. He glanced down at Rick's tail. "It started with the shifters." He looked back up to meet Rick's eyes. "A strain of the rabies virus, they said. Reports of shifters shifting an' eating people. So they started rounding up shifters, thinking it was some disease only passed between shifters until the first humans began falling too. Then suddenly, everyone was trying to eat each other and… it just escalated. It was chaos." He shivered and shook his head. "Before the broadcasting stopped, they said head to Atlanta. Big refugee center there, where the military was headed. Said the CDC was working on a way to fix this. Everyone was packing up to head there…"

Rick glanced down at the handcuff still on his wrist. He'd spent half his life protecting people, trying to do right for the shifter and human communities alike and risking his life. But… he sighed. He wouldn't really fault them. At least he was only cuffed.

Morgan continued on. "We didn't attack you because you're… Duane, my boy… he took you out with that shovel because he thought you were one of the dead… not because…"

Rick smiled. "I got a tail?"

Morgan nodded. "Terrible things were done to the shifters they rounded up. But I ain't like that. I mean… I'm human. I ain't a shifter. But I ain't like that. They ain't ever done anything to me."

Rick nodded slowly. His eyes drifted to the doorway. He could hear the boy in the other room, could smell him. "But your boy is."

Morgan stiffened for a moment, just for a moment. Then he quickly nodded and visibly relaxed. "Yeah, he is."

"Wolf." Rick said.

Morgan sighed and nodded. "Didn't mean to try and hide it. Just…"

Rick nodded, understanding. "You have to protect your pup."

Morgan nodded again. "Yeah. He's all I have left now that…" He stopped and looked away. "My wife… we were on our way to Atlanta. And she… it was fast. It was so fast. She got bit and the fever… it was so fast. An' after… I couldn't leave her but I couldn't…"

A car alarm suddenly started blaring. Rick jumped up, Morgan followed. "It's alright. Just one of them getting too close. Happened a few nights ago."

Duane ran into the room, immediately going to the lanterns and turned them off.

Rick edged closer to the window and pressed against it. He looked out and saw the flashing lights. Morgan and Duane crowded in to look as well. And Duane gasped. "She's back!" Morgan immediately pulled him from the window and drug him towards the bed. Duane fell against the pillow, unable to stop the cries wracking his small frame. Morgan bent over him, rubbing his back in slow circles.

Rick moved towards the door as he heard the scraping getting closer. He looked out the peephole and saw the rotting corpse in the nightgown. She stepped closer to the door and Rick suddenly saw Lori. He wondered if he'd be able to do it. If he'd seen her rotted corpse reaching for him… her blackened, bloodied teeth snapped at him… or Carl… he stopped himself there. He blinked his eyes and turned around. He wouldn't let himself imagine Carl…

Duane's whimpering had tapered off and Morgan sighed. "The sound draws them in. Shouldn't have fired that gun. They get more active at night. The cool air or somethin'."

They were silent for a moment. Duane shifted and opened his eyes. "Did you ask him dad?"

Morgan laughed. "We got this bet going. You being shot and the handcuffs, my boys says you're a bank robber."

Rick laughed and smiled. "Yeah, that's me." He shook his head. "Sheriff's Deputy."

Morgan's eyes widened. "A cop? Never known any shifter cops."

Rick shrugged. "Ain't no laws that say we can't be."

"I didn't mean…"

Rick smiled. "I know. My partner and I… we were the only ones in the academy. Everyone wanted us out but no one had the balls to do anything about it. We were the best and… we had to fight for everything."

They talked for a while. Morgan asked more about his partner and their academy days. Then he about the name Carl and Rick told him. Eventually they all fell into a restless sleep.

**-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-**

The next morning, after some more convincing that these 'Walkers' were indeed dead, Morgan showed Rick how to take them down. "Take out the brain." The man said. "Anywhere else, they just keep coming. Has to be the brain."

Rick felt sick to his stomach after beating that first one down with the baseball bat. Sure, he had killed people before, gunned down dangerous criminals. But that was out of duty, justice, his job. And a few times, self defense. But this… this felt different. He could tell himself it was a form of self defense. But still… He collected himself and marched towards his house. "They're alive, my kid and wife." He said over his shoulder as Morgan and Duane followed him inside.

Morgan pulled up and looked doubtful. "How do you know?"

Rick pointed to the walls. "The pictures. Anyone breaking in to scavenge wouldn't take pictures."

Morgan let out a sharp laugh and leaned against the wall. "Pictures. Same thing. My wife, she's grabbing photo albums while I'm grabbing survival gear." Morgan shook his head, obviously lost in memories.

Rick made a quick round of the house again. Still no one. But clothes were gone. Food too. It looked like Lori had packed a bag. He headed back to where Morgan and Duane were sitting. "You said Atlanta."

Morgan nodded. "That's where everyone was headed. I bet that's where your wife and pup went."

Rick headed into the kitchen and grabbed a set of keys. Twenty minutes later, he was unlocking the doors to the police station. He led Morgan and Duane in without hesitation. He finally was able to rid himself of the irritating handcuffs, tossing them angrily to the ground. He rubbed at his freed wrist and the three of them headed back to the showers. They all enjoyed the hot water still left and Rick had laughed as Duane danced around under the spray. He shaved quickly and finally started to look like himself again. They dressed quickly and Rick raided the weapons locker.

"You pull the trigger, you have to mean it." He said to the young wolf pup. "Always remember that."

"Yes, sir." Duane said with a serious nod.

Rick packed a bag for himself and helped Morgan gather some things as well. On their way out, Rick tried again to convince them to come with him. But Morgan declined. He needed time to practice and teach Duane… and to work up the courage to put his wife down. "Take this." Rick said, handing him a radio walkie. "I'll turn it on everyday at dawn for a few minutes. That's how we'll find each other when you leave."

"You're a good man, Rick. Dog or not."

Rick smiled as he climbed into his police cruiser and set off. He drove for a little while in complete silence. Then he flipped on his radio and turned to the emergency frequency. "Broadcasting on emergency channel. On highway 85 heading to Atlanta. If you can hear my voice, please respond." He repeated himself several times every few minutes until the signs over him read Atlanta. He slowed the car and pulled to a stop. A military vehicle was blocking half the road. He stepped out of the car slowly and opened the back door long enough to grab the gun bag.

"Hello?" He called out and got no response. He pulled out his gun and held it up ready as he slowly inched towards the large vehicle. He peered in and found it empty. Nothing. Rick breathed out and there was a scratching behind him. He spun around, his gun up again. The last thing he was expecting to see was the trio of dogs staring at him. Two large Rottweilers and a short bulldog. They were scruffy and filthy.

Rick lowered his gun and slipped it back into its holster. He shifted the gun bag slightly as he bent forward a bit. He narrowed his eyes, let out a growl, and stared the dogs down. All three immediately sunk down, touching their bellies to the ground. They rolled over, baring their necks and bellies submissively. Rick smiled as he straightened up. "Up." He said and the dogs scrambled back up. "Come on. I could use the company." He turned and skirted around the road block, the dogs a step behind him.

He turned down the block and stopped. Something loud caught his attention. It coming from above him. He looked up and caught the reflection in the windows of a large building. A helicopter. Relief flooded through him. There was a helicopter! He ran forward towards the sound. The dogs caught up with him, catching his excitement.

They rounded the corner and Rick pulled up. A wall of walkers blocked him. Eyes wide, he turned and tried to go back the way he'd come but it was suddenly blocked as well. He turned and headed down another road. A large tank blocked the road. A few strangled barks reached his eyes and he turned. One of the walkers reached for him, grabbing onto the bag instead. He surged forward and had to abandon the bag. He dashed for the tank, ducked down, and rolled under it.

And that's how he found himself locked in a tank with a dead walker he just took out, deafening himself momentarily by the ricocheting bullet. He closed his eyes and let out a loud, long sigh. This was where he was going to die. He knew it. He was never get to see Carl or Lori again.

"Hey!" The radio in the tank cracked. "Yeah, you. The dog in the tank. You chasing your tail in there?"

**-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-**

**Author's Notes:** No horse because cops are hot and so are cop cars. So I wanted Rick to keep the car. But I gave the walkers some dogs to eat instead. XD


	2. Guts

It's hard to find the fine line between rewriting and just copying the shows. XD

**The Walking Dead: The Shifting Dead  
><strong>**Episode 2: Guts**

He was staring at the radio. A dream? It was a dream, wasn't it? It had to be a dream. Or something else. Was he hallucinating? And then he heard the voice again.

"Hey! Are you in there?"

Rick shot forward and grabbed the transmitter, fumbling with the button for a moment. "Hello?"

"Oh good." The voice sounded relieved. "You're still alive."

"Yeah. Alive." Rick let out a sharp laugh as he leaned back a bit. "So damn lucky, ain't I?"

"You're going to have to run for it." The voice said.

Rick frowned slightly. "Run?"

"You have eyes on the outside." The voice said calmly. "There's one geek on top. The rest have… joined the feeding frenzies where the dogs went down. You need to go, now. Not gonna keep their attention much longer."

He took a deep from for a moment and pulled out his gun, checking his clip. Yeah, that wasn't good. "What about my guns?"

"Forget the guns!" The voice snapped.

"Fuck!" Rick glanced around the tank. He edged over to the dead soldier and rooted through his pockets.

"Jump off the right side." The voice continued. "There's an alley."

Rick found a grenade and a gun on the walker, pocketing both.

"Down the street. Be there."

Rick grabbed the transmitter. "Thank you…"

"Don't thank me yet. Just go!"

Rick gritted his teeth, took a deep breath, and threw open the hatch. He shot the walker in his way and leapt down to the ground. As soon as his feet hit the pavement, he was running. They were all over the place, crowding in. Yeah, he was thoroughly fucked! He lifted his gun, taking out a walker. Then another. He didn't hesitate anymore, just lifted his gun and pulled the trigger. He didn't even pause to see them go down.

He shot two more and turned and found the alley, practically running into an Asian kid. "Not dead!" The kid yelled, Rick recognized his voice immediately as the one over the radio. He held up his hands and jumped back. He turned quickly and gestured for Rick to follow. "Come on, this way!"

Rick nodded and followed close on his tail. He kept glancing back over his shoulder as they moved. He didn't slow as he turned and fired shots. "I'm Rick."

The kid glanced back at him, frowning. "Shut up and start climbing."

Rick turned his attention forward and looked up at the ladder. He followed and about halfway up, they slowed.

The kid looked down at Rick and shrugged. "Good news." He said, looking back up. "The fall will kill us before they do."

They got to the top and pulled themselves over. Rick peered over the edge of the building for a moment. "Thank you." Rick said as he bent over, taking a moment to catch his breath. "You saved my tail. You didn't have to."

He shrugged. "I like to think that if I'm ever that fucked, someone'll help me."

Rick smiled as he straightened up. He liked this kid instantly. He way he held himself, the way his eyes kept darting around, the way his bright red-orange tail stood straight up with its white tip twitching. Rick had met a few foxes in his time. They were smart, cunning, fast, and loyal. He could tell this kid had the same attributes.

"I'm Glenn." He said, holding his hand out. "Glenn Rhee."

Rick grabbed his hand firmly, smiling broadly. "Rick Grimes."

Glenn took his hand back and stepped to the side. "Nice moves there, cowboy."

"You too." Rick said with a nod. "Fast. And you know your way around."

Glenn shrugged and scraped his shoes against the concrete roof. "I come here a lot."

"You do?"

Glenn nodded. "Supply runs. Usually by myself. Brought a team this time. We've got a bigger group outside the city."

Rick sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "I uh… was in the hospital. Looking for my wife and pup. Heard there was a refugee center in Atlanta."

Glenn laughed and shook his head. "Yeah, you've already met the welcoming committee."

Rick breathed in deeply, nodding. Yeah, he'd figured that out. There wasn't a refugee center. Carl and Lori weren't here. And without his guns, or knowledge of the city, he could admit he was fucked. He was fortunate the young fox had seen him. And grateful.

Seemingly reading his mind, Glenn smiled. "Come on. My group's this way. You can come with us." They moved to the edge of the building and down a fire escape. Then through another alley, and another, and Glenn pulled up. He pulled out a radio. "Coming in. Ran into a new guy. There're three geeks in the alley."

Rick held up his gun and Glenn pulled him back and pointed to the door across the alley. Just when Rick was about to question him, the door burst open and two guys completely covered in gear ran out. They ran over and began beating the walkers with bats. Glenn grabbed Rick's arm and pointed to the door. Rick nodded and they ran towards it.

The second Rick stepped inside, a gun was shoved in his face. "You son of a bitch!" A blonde woman yelled.

He could sense the strength, agility, and grace behind her posture, but her eyes conveyed a timid nervousness, a flight risk. Horse, he would have guess, even if he couldn't smell it on her. He held up his hands slowly. "Whoa."

Her eyes widened, her nostrils flaring wide. Then her eyes quickly narrowed.

"Calm down, Andrea."

Glenn stepped closer to Rick, leaning in a bit. "Morales." He said, pointing to the human who just talked. "Andrea, Jacqui, and T-Dog." He pointed to each one in turn. Two humans and three shifters.

Andrea continued on like she hadn't heard him. "Because of you… we're all dead." She stepped back, lowering her gun. She looked down and shook her head slowly. "We're all dead."

Rick lowered his gaze a bit submissively. "I'm sorry."

"You come in, shooting up the place." The pitbull, T-Dog, ripped his mask off, throwing his bat on the floor. "Every geek for a mile musta heard ya."

Morales frowned and crossed his arms. "What were you doing out there?"

Rick glanced up for a moment, shaking his head slightly. "Trying to flag helicopter."

"Man, there ain't no helicopter." T-Dog spat.

"You think you saw a helicopter." A human, Jacqui, said.

Rick looked over at her and shook his head. "No, ma'am. I know what I saw."

Several gunshots were suddenly fired off and everyone looked up. "Is that Dixon?" Andrea asked.

"Shit, Dixon!" Glenn snapped as Andrea cried, "He'll attract more!" All of them ran from the room and Rick had no choice but to follow. Out to the back of the department store and then up the stairs to the roof.

T-Dog was the first out the door, rounding on the man standing on the edge of the roof. "Damnit, Dixon. You wasting ammo we don't got."

Rick was the last one out, stepping behind everyone, hanging back. He didn't know these people. It wasn't his place.

The man standing there looked positively volatile, dangerous. He spun around, growling and snarling like a rabid wolf. He turned on T-Dog as he got closer, using the rifle as a bat and slamming it against him. T-Dog staggered back, landing hard on the ground.

"Merle! Stop it!" Jacqui screamed.

Merle paid her no attention as he jumped on T-Dog and started punching him. Morales stepped in and tried to pull him off. But Merle turned and pointed the gun on him. "Hold up there, human." He stood up slowly, smiling. Merle stepped away from T-Dog. "I'm top dog 'ere." He snapped loudly. "I'm da fucken alpha wolf. Now who 'ere agrees wit me?" He was waving the gun around. "Come on. Change a'leadership. E'eryon gets ta vote."

Andrea raised her hand first. Then Glenn, and slowly everyone else.

Merle smiled crookedly and waved his rifle around. "Anyone has anything else ta say?"

Rick had had enough. "I do." He moved fast. He leapt at the wolf, growling loudly. He threw his whole body against him and ripped the rifle from his grip. Merle landed hard, stunned and shocked. Rick pulled out his cuffs and Merle's eyes widened.

"What da fuck man?" He rasped out. "Who the fuck're you?"

Rick grabbed Merle's hand, yanking it hard towards a pipe and cuffed him. "Officer Friendly." He growled between gritted teeth. ""You ain't in charge here, you redneck piece of shit. Now you're going to stay here, tuck your tail between your legs, and shut the fuck up.

"Fuck you…"

Rick grabbed him by the collar, yanked him up, and growled. Merle visibly flinched and Rick released him. Merle glared and leaned back defiantly, but said nothing and didn't meet Rick's gaze. Rick straightened up, nodded to the rest of the ground, and headed towards the door. Without words, they followed close behind him.

"Dude!" Glenn squealed once they were inside, standing in the stairwell. "That was awesome! He looked like he was going to shit himself."

Rick bit back the urge to smile as he turned to T-Dog, a look of concern washing over him. "You alright?"

T-Dog nodded. "Yeah, man." He wiped the blood was his mouth on his shirt. But he looked like he was going to fall over.

"Maybe you should go back out." Rick offered softly. "Keep an eye on the loud mouth."

T-Dog looked like maybe he wanted to argue. But he didn't. He simply nodded and grabbed the radio from Morales. "I'll try to get a hold of the camp."

"Good idea." Glenn said with a nod.

"Here." Rick pulled the tiny key out of his pocket and handed it to T-Dog. "Might keep his mouth shut."

T-Dog smiled and pocketed the key and turned back to the door.

They headed down to the first level, all of them following silently in step behind Rick. It wasn't something new to him. People had always gravitated towards him. 'A natural born leader,' his dad had called him, patting him on the shoulder when he'd been promoted to deputy. Rick'd never seen his old man so proud, calling him an inspiration to all other shifters growing up in a human dominated world. And now these strangers… he hadn't done it on purpose. He'd just been trying to diffuse the situation before the wolf ended up getting one or all of them killed.

"So." Rick turned to face them. "We need another way out. Glenn, any ideas?"

The fox's eyes widened suddenly and he looked around the room. "What? Me?"

Rick nodded. "You said it. You know the city. You know the building. How do we get out of here unseen?"

Glenn turned away from them, shaking his head. After a moment, he let out a sigh. "Okay. Maybe the basement."

"The sewer lines." Jacqui said. "I worked in the city's zoning department."

Glenn nodded. "I've never been down there."

"Alright." Rick said with a nod. "Let's go check it out."

Glenn shook his head. "No… uh…" He looked away for a moment.

"Speak." Rick said.

"It's just…" Glenn shook his head. "I've always gone on runs myself. In and out with no problems. First time I bring a group, problems. So if we do this… we do this my way… if that's okay."

Rick smiled and nodded. "You know what you're talking about."

Glenn breathed out, relieved. "I'll go and I'll take one of you with me."

After a bit of arguing, it was decided Glenn and Morales would check out the sewer system Jacqui knew all about. While the three of them concentrated on that, Rick and Andrea would watch the front doors, keeping and eyes on the walkers at the doors.

Andrea absentmindedly played with a lock of her tail hair, twirling the long blonde strands between her fingers. She was standing in front of a jewelry display. "My sister…" She started softly, reaching out to touch the jeweled unicorn pendant. "She's still such a little filly inside. Magic, dragons, mermaids… but unicorns… unicorns are her favorite. When she was younger, she had this clay horn she made. She'd tie it to her forehead and shift and spend hours trotting around with it." She sighed and pulled her hand back. "It's her birthday tomorrow." She frowned. "I think. I'm been trying to count the days."

Rick nodded slowly and smiled. "Take it."

Andrea laughed. "There's a cop staring at me."

Rick chuckled softly as he reached out and lifted the thin silver chain from the display. He held it out and dropped it into her open palm. "I think we're past that now."

She smiled at him, her eyes lighting up. "I'm sorry… about earlier… about pulling my gun on you."

Rick shrugged. He understood it. He didn't hold it against her. "Your gun?" He asked slowly.

She nodded. "A gift from my dad. Birthday present, before this all happened."

"Can I see it?"

Andrea didn't hesitate to pull the weapon out and hand it over.

"This here, this is the safety." He said, holding it up and showing her. He switched it off. "Next time you point this, make sure that's off. You might need it." He flipped the safety back on and handed it over.

"Thanks." She said a bit awkwardly. "I… I've never used it. I never thought I'd need to."

"It's never too late to learn."

Glenn, Morales, and Jacqui returned a few minutes later, declaring the sewer system a dead end. They needed another way out. So they returned to the roof to look for another solution. Rick looked through a pair of binoculars, searching for a way out. "Construction site." He pulled them away from his eyes and pointed. "Those vans. They keep extra keys onsite."

"Yeah." Glenn shook his head and rolled his eyes. "How you expect we get there?"

Rick looked over at him. "You got me out of the tank."

"Yeah, because they were eating." Glenn snapped. "They were distracted."

Rick leaned forward against the roof and peered down over the edge. "What else distracts them?"

Glenn shrugged. "Loud noises… smell…"

Rick stopped and looked back over at him. "Smell?"

From across the roof, Merle snorted. "They ain't chewing on each other." Merle mumbled.

T-Dog glared at him. "No one asked you."

"Wait…" Rick said, stepping forward. "That's it. We need one of them."

The group made it back downstairs. Rick, Glenn, and Morales slipped out into the alley. Glenn and Morales drug one of the walkers they'd taken down earlier while Rick kept watch. Jacqui and Andrea came in, carrying long trench coats and gloves. Glenn and Rick slipped into the coats and everyone put on gloves.

"Don't get any on your skin." Rick said, bending down to the walker. He paused for a moment. He reached down and rooted around in the walker's pocket. He pulled out a wallet and flipped it open. "His name was Mathew Reich, human."

Glenn bent down, taking the wallet from Rick's hand. "He's an organ donor."

The plan was to attempt to disguise Rick and Glenn. Cover them both in blood and viscera and see if they could walk through the throng of walkers to the construction site. Intestines were draped over Glenn and he turned and promptly threw up.

Rick had to fight his own urge to do the same as he turned back to the walker. "We need more guts." Rick said, sinking his axe into the walker's chest.

A few more axes to the chest and more slathering of said guts all over Rick and Glenn and Andrea announced, "Yeah, you smell like them. Get out."

Morales opened the door and closed it quickly after they stepped outside. "This is a bad idea." Glenn whined, walking too fast.

"Shhh!" Rick urged, grabbing his arm. "Take a deep breath and slow down. Try not to draw attention." Glenn wrinkled his nose and Rick smirked. "Well… not a deep breath."

They moved forward, more slowly this time. Staggering and wobbling purposely on their feet, and Glenn started moaning. It was working. None of them looked at them. None of them seemed to know they were there.

"I think it's working." Glenn whispered, smiling over at him.

They were halfway to the construction site when their luck ran out. Rick looked up as rain slowly began to fall.

"It's washing off." Glenn said, eyes wide.

"No it's not…" Rick said slowly. A walker suddenly turned on him and Rick lifted his axe. "Okay, it is. Run!" He and Glenn sprinted towards the fence. Rick turned and shot a few that got too close. "Go!" Glenn was already over the fence when Rick reached it. He quickly followed and pointed towards the building. "Keys'll be in there." Glenn disappeared inside as Rick turned and began shooting.

"Rick!"

He turned as Glenn tossed him the keys. Rick rushed to the van, opened the doors, and started it up.

Glenn slammed the door shut, panicking. "Shit! Shit, shit… there're all over the place!" He looked out the window. "How do we get them out?"

"Distract them, Glenn." Rick said, spinning the wheel and pulling the van out of the site. "You're going to draw them away."

"Yeah?" Glenn snapped. "How?"

"Noise."

"Noise?"

Rick nodded. "You know the city pretty well? Glenn? Focus."

"Yeah." Glenn nodded slowly. "Yeah… uh… used to uh… deliver pizzas."

"Good." Rick said with a nod. "How do you get back to the highway from here?"

"The highway…" Glenn shook his head. "I can't leave them. I have to go back!"

"I know." Rick said quickly. "We aren't, I promise. Highway, Glenn."

He nodded meekly and pointed. "Turn here."

Rick followed Glenn's directions and soon he was back where he'd first entered the city. He slowed the van and pulled it to a stop in front of the military truck blocking the road. He hopped out and pointed towards his police cruiser just beyond it. "There's my car. Think the sirens will be enough to draw them away?"

Glenn followed Rick's gaze and his face lit up. "I get to drive a cop car? Hell yes!"

"Can you get it around that?" Rick asked, pointing towards the road block.

Glenn nodded. "Yeah, no problem."

Rick pulled out his keys and unlocked the door. "Get to the store and draw them away. I'll be right behind you. I'll get everyone out and then we'll follow you to your camp." He reached inside and flipped on the sirens. Then he held the keys out to Glenn. "Be careful with it, please."

Glenn was grinning ear to ear as he grabbed the keys and slipped into the seat.

Rick shook his head slightly as he returned to the box van and climbed inside. He turned around and backtracked towards the department store. Glenn sped past him, waving widely and leaning halfway out the window. Rick rolled his eyes as he slowed and pulled the van to a stop.

Glenn whipped the cruiser around in front of the store. The swarm of walkers descended on him and for a moment, Rick couldn't even see the vehicle through them. Then Glenn put the car in reverse and backed up slowly. Then swarm followed and Glenn sped off.

Rick watched him go and smiled. It had worked. He gunned the gas and backed the van up to the delivery door. He jumped out and pulled up the door. "Hurry."

"What's that noise?" Jacqui asked, dragging a couple bags towards the van.

Rick reached out and helped her heave them in. "Glenn's luring them away. Let's go!"

"Wait for me!" T-Dog said, ambling through the door. Morales pulled the door shut behind him and Rick jumped back into the driver's seat. It wasn't until they were on the highway that they all breathed out a sigh of relief. All except T-Dog. He was leaning far forward, picking at the fur on his tail. Guilt was radiating off him in waves, strong enough that Rick was certain that even the humans could fell it.

"Hey." Andrea leaned forward and patted his knee. "That's all on Merle." She said sourly.

"No it ain't." T-Dog grumbled. "I dropped the key. That's on me."

Rick glanced back and sighed. "I cuffed him."

"He was putting us in danger." Morales said. "You had to."

The sirens drew closer and Glenn sped around them. "At least someone's having fun." Rick shook his head.

Jacqui leaned forward, looking out the windshield. "Shouldn't he turn those off?"

Rick shrugged. "I guess I forgot to show him."

"We're moving too fast." Morales said. "I don't think the geeks will be able to follow."

"Good." Rick said, shaking his head. "I've had enough of them to last forever."

"Yeah." Andrea wrinkled her nose. "The smell leaked through that coat."


	3. Tell it to the Frogs

On a roll with updates. XD Probably won't last long, I'm sure. Actually it won't.

**The Walking Dead: The Shifting Dead  
><strong>**Episode 3: Tell it to the Frogs**

Glenn was having fun. Way too much fun. He knew that deep down that he shouldn't be enjoying it so much. He should slow down. He'd lost sight of the box van a while back. But the others knew the way. They'd be able to direct Rick. And he knew he should turn off the sirens. But he wasn't exactly sure how and he was gong a bit too fast to look.

He really should slow down. But really. When was he going to be able to drive a cop car again? And he hadn't had this much fun in months!

Eventually he did slow as the camp came into view. He pulled up behind the large RV and cut the engine. The second he stopped, the door was practically ripped off its hinges. Glenn was torn from the car just as violently and thrown to the ground. "Sh-sh-sh-Shane…" He stammered out, pressing himself closer to the ground.

Shane ducked into the car and the sirens when silent. Then he rounded on Glenn, practically foaming at the mouth. "Are you fucking stupid? I should rip your fucking throat out, you piece of shit."

The rest of the camp stayed where they were, ignoring Shane's outburst. He had them from time to time, yelling and screaming for seemingly no reason. The others rarely heard him anymore. All except Dale, an old, graying wolf who probably had a death wish but he'd taken a shine to the young fox, confiding in him alone how much he hated the dark wolf. And Dale really was too nosy for his own good. He pushed through the others and quickly walked towards Shane and Glenn. "Now, now, calm down son." He directed to Shane, holding his hands up.

Shane turned and growled at him but Dale held his ground.

Glenn was shaking on the ground. "We… we ran into… some trouble…" He stammered out. "We n-n-needed to… to lure them away."

"See Shane?" Dale didn't take his eyes off the still growling wolf. "Necessary."

Shane shook his head. "You fucking led them here."

Glenn flinched and Dale shook his head. "I think we're fine. The sound was bouncing off the hills and he was driving fast. Hard to pinpoint the direction."

Shane growled again and turned to the cruiser. He pressed his palms against it, leaning on it slightly. He was still growling lowly.

Dale bent down and helped Glenn to his feet. "You okay?"

Glenn nodded, rubbing at the base of his tail. He'd landed on it hard, surprised it wasn't broken. "Yeah." He mumbled.

"The others?" Dale asked softly.

Glenn nodded again. "Behind me. Just… slower."

Shane suddenly went rigid. He pushed away from the car like it had burnt him. He turned towards Glenn, nostrils flaring. "Where'd you get this?" He snapped out.

"I uh… new guy." Glenn mumbled. "Showed up in a cop car. Told me to lure the walkers away so he could get the others in a van."

A young blonde woman slowly crept towards them. "Glenn." She said softly. "My sister…"

Glenn turned to her and nodded. "She's fine, Amy. They'll be…" He stopped and turned as the van came into view. He breathed out a sigh of relief. He glanced at Shane and the dark wolf had gone pale. Eyes wide and standing still as stone. Glenn took a tentative step forward and another when Shane didn't stop him.

**-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-**

Morales jumped out of the van as Rick moved to back it up. He waved Rick back slowly, guiding him. Then he stopped and held up his hands. "That's good." He said, moving to pull the rear door open.

Rick shut it off and leaned back for a moment. He was alive, at least. Lucky. And made some new friends, he hoped. He'd have to go back to Atlanta though. He knew it deep down. He couldn't leave it like that.

Glenn appeared at the window, smiling widely. He pulled Rick's door open. "Come on, come meet everyone."

Rick nodded as he slipped out of the van.

"New guy." He heard Morales say. "Cop like you."

Rick's nostrils flared and his eyes widened. Morales stepped out of the way and Rick saw him. He smiled and laughed and stepped forward to throw his arms around his partner. "You son of a bitch. Good to see you."

Shane was rigid and Rick chose to ignore that in his excitement. "You… too…" He wolf chocked out awkwardly. He stepped back when Rick let him go.

Someone else caught Rick's attention. He turned slightly, sensing the small, dark eyes on him. And his knees felt weak.

"Dad!"

Tears welled in Rick's eyes as his son ran towards him. He held open his arms as Carl leapt into them and attempted to crush the young pup against him. "Carl! Oh… Carl!" He fell to his knees, still clutching his pup to him. Everything now… everything would be better. Carl was alive and in his arms. Carl was his again. And he would never let him go agin. Movement towards them caught his attention and on instinct, he growled.

"Rick."

He heard her voice. "Lori!" He shifted his hold on Carl as he stood back up and wrapped Lori against him as well. He hugged them both tightly against him. He didn't catch the glares or snarls directed his way. All he knew was he had them back. Against all odds, his family. He had them back.

After a few minutes, Lori finally pulled away. A flash on conflict crossed her eyes and she stepped back, shaking herself.

Reluctantly, Rick set Carl back on his feet and released the boy. Carl's smile slowly fell. "Mom said you were dead." He said softly.

Rick glanced at Lori and then back down at Carl. He grab Carl's shoulder and squeezed it. "She had every reason to believe I was."

Glenn and Dale were discussing Merle a few feet away. "Practically rabid." Glenn said. "He did it to save us. And then T-Dog dropped the key and… we had to go."

Dale shook his head slowly. "Can't say I'm sad about losing him. But I'm not looking forward to telling Daryl his brother was left behind."

Glenn nodded. "We could tell him he's dead."

Rick stepped towards them, shaking his head. "No. The truth is always better. I'll take the blame for it."

Dale nodded slowly. "Well… nice to meet you, Rick. Welcome to our humble home." He stepped past Rick, clapping him on the shoulder as he did.

Glenn was suddenly smiling, practically bouncing. He'd been waiting until the happy reunion was over. "Rick, you have to meet everyone." Glenn drug him through the camp, Carl a step behind, and introduced him to everyone there. Jim, the rest of Morales' family, Carol and her daughter Sophia. "Cats." Glenn whispered. "Very shy, keep to themselves. But I think that has more to do with that awful husband of hers." Rick had seen Ed and didn't doubt Glenn. He was a cat Rick wanted to chase up a tree.

"The dog that saved out tails." Glenn was saying to Amy.

Rick smiled sheepishly, ducking his head.

"Thank you." Amy said, stepping forward and throwing her arms about him. She hugged him tight and placed a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you for saving my sister."

Andrea rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Yeah… he caused it all." She muttered under her breath. "Amy, get off the man." Amy laughed and let her sister pulled her off. "Come on, Amy." Andrea turned back to Rick and smiled at him. "Thanks. Honestly."

"You're welcome." Rick said with a nod. He turned and his eyes sought out Lori. She was standing at the edge of the camp with Shane. Rick frowned, wondering what they were talking about that had her so agitated. Carl grabbed his hand and Rick smiled down at him. When he looked back up, Lori was gone and Shane was watching him. Rick waved and smiled and Shane walked off.

Lori returned twenty minutes later, wet and smelling strongly of soap. Rick wrinkled his nose at the strong, perfumy smell. Lori smiled. "Sorry. We have to use what we find. We don't have the luxury of being picky because our husbands have sensitive noses." He had smiled and pulled her against him.

A couple hours later, the whole group had settled down around the campfire. "Disoriented." Rick said, wrapping an arm around Carl. "Fear, panic, confusion, all those things. But disoriented, that's a good word for it." He said, nodding.

"Words… sometimes they fall short." Dale said softly.

"I thought…" Rick continued on. "I was… trapped in some coma dream. That I'd never wake up from."

"I'm glad you did." Carl said softly.

Rick looked down at him and hugged him closer. Yeah, he was glad too.

Lori was shaking her head slowly. "When things got really bad, they said they were going to transport you and some of the other patients to Atlanta. But it never happened."

Rick nodded. "I don't doubt it. It looked like the hospital got overrun."

"I barely got them out." Shane muttered from across the circle.

Rick turned his gaze to Shane and smiled. "I can never thank you enough, brother."

Shane swallowed and looked down.

Dale chuckled softly. "Words fallen short again."

Lori leaned heavily on Rick, her head on his shoulder.

A few feet away, Ed was sitting with his timid family in front of another fire. He stood up and threw another log on the fire. He sat back down as the fire blazed up.

Shane cleared his throat loudly. "Take out the log, Ed."

The man didn't look up. He slunk down in his chair and propped his feet up on the edge of the fire pit. "It's cold." He grumbled.

Shane jumped up, his voice rising. "Don't change the rules, man."

"Shane." Rick said evenly.

Shane ignored Rick and stalked over towards the family of cats. Carol shied away as he approached and Sophia scooted closer to her mother. "Ed." Shane barked. "Take out the fucking log."

Ed glared up at him for a second. Then he lowered his gaze and looked over at his wife, Carol. "Take out the log then."

Carol stood up, bent forward, and gingerly removed the log. Then she returned to her seat beside her daughter and wrapped an arm around her.

Shane glared at Ed a moment longer before turning and stomping away.

Ed patted his knee and looked over at Sophia. "Come keep daddy warm."

"Ed…" Carol started and stopped when he glared at her.

Sophia pulled her blanket up over her head, covering herself completely. A moment later, the blanket deflated and a tiny cat popped out from the edge. She was larger than a kitten but still small and delicate, mostly white with golden patches. She hopped up on Ed's lap and curled up.

Rick looked away, shaking his head, and hugged Carl tighter. Idle chatter flowed around the circle. But it wasn't long before Carl was yawning, already half asleep. Rick smiled as he pried the boy off. "I think its bedtime." Carl immediately grabbed onto him again and rick laughed.

"Yeah, it's getting late." Dale said, getting up.

"I've got first watch." Glenn said.

"No." Someone said. "I'll take first watch."

Rick bent over to pick up Carl and the boy whined. "I can walk, dad." He mumbled against his chest. Lori stood up and he followed her to their tent. He set Carl down and the boy refused to let go of Rick's hand. Rick shrugged and laid down beside him. Without hesitating, Lori laid down on his other side, snuggling up against him. He bristled for a second and hopped she didn't notice. He still remembered her cold words about divorce and custody and him not caring. To him, it felt like a matter of days, not months, since those words tumbled from her lips.

The day before he got shot and fell into coma, she was talking to someone about divorce and custody. Lori didn't know that he knew, unless Shane had told her. But Rick doubted that. He had to talk to her, had to know what was really going on through her head. Who was she really talking to that day before?

But maybe… maybe it felt nice. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

He woke the next morning alone in the tent. But Carl's spot was at least still warm so he couldn't have been up long. He stepped out of the tent and Carol waved him over. He smiled at her. "Good morning, Carol."

She was standing beside an ironing board, folding a shirt. She smiled meekly and pointed to a pile of clothes on the board. "I washed your clothes. Their still a little damp but they should dry in the sun."

Rick's eyebrows piqued. "Thanks. You didn't have to."

She met his gaze for a moment before ducking her head shyly.

He headed back to the tent and changed quickly. Then set out to find Glenn. The fox was standing with Dale beside the RV, talking. "Morning Dale. Can I borrow Glenn for a moment?"

Dale smiled and nodded and climbed up into the RV.

"Hey." Glenn said with a wide smile. "What'd you need?"

Rick sighed and ran a hand though his hair. "I've been thinking about him." He said softly.

Glenn's smile faltered and he shook his head. "You're not serious."

Rick stepped closer, lowering his voice. "T-Dog said he chained the door. He thinks it'll hold. Merle could still be alive."

Glenn sighed. "You want to go save him."

Rick nodded.

"You want me to go with you."

Rick nodded again.

Glenn was silent for a moment. He looked down at the ground, then back up at Rick, watching him. "You asking me… or telling me?" He asked slowly.

"Asking, Glenn." Rick said evenly. "If you won't come with me, I'll go alone. I won't make you." He said, shaking his head. "I'd just feel safer if you did."

"Safer?" Glenn asked, doubt in his voice. "With me?"

Rick nodded yet again and was about to say more when he heard something that made his blood run cold.

Carl screaming. "DAD!"

"CARL!" He turned and ran. "Carl!"

"Over here!" Someone yelled. "There's a walker!"

Rick pushed past Shane and yanked Carl up off the ground. The kid was breathing heavily and terrified but unharmed. Lori was a step behind him and Rick handed him over.

A walker kneeled, hunched over a deer, two arrows stuck in the animal's haunches. T-Dog, Shane, and Dale crowded in behind him. The noise caught the attention of the walker. It abandoned its meal of the deer and rounded on them. T-Dog, axe in hand, stepped forward. He swung the axe hard and severed the walkers head. They all jumped back as the head rolled and the body fell to the ground.

Then there was a rustling in the trees behind the deer and everyone tensed. Rick's nostrils flared, catching the scent of another cat. The leaves parted and a man stepped out. Short, messy dark brown hair, icy blue eyes, ripped and dirt streaked jeans and shirt, and a long, brown and black, long-furred tail. Rick had never seen a more feral looking domesticated shifter before.

Glenn stepped up behind Rick, smiling. He leaned closer. "That's Daryl. I wouldn't want to be you for anything, dude."

Rick glanced sideways at him. "Yeah. I kinda don't want to either."

Daryl lowered the crossbow he'd been holding and growled loudly. "Sonuvabitch! That's my deer!" He snarled. "Chewed up by this…" He turned and kicked at the walker's body. "Filthy, disease ridden, motherless fucken bastard."

Dale stepped forward and reached out towards him. "That's not doing any good, son."

Daryl rounded on Dale, jumping back like the old wolf had bit him. "Nobody fucken asked you, old man." He turned back around and glared at the deer. "Was tracking it for miles. Gonna drag it back to camp, cook us up some venison." He bent down closer to it, looking. "Whatcha think? Cut around this chewed up part?"

Shane shook his head, grimacing. "Wouldn't risk it."

Daryl sighed, cocking his hands on his hips and shaking his head. "Damn shame."

A collective gasp ran through the small crowd as the walker's head began snapping. "Da fuck?" Daryl stepped towards it, pulling out his bow. He pointed at it and let a bolt fly, piercing it through the eye. "Gotta be the brain. Don't ya'll know nothing? Merle!" Daryl stalked away, looking around. "Git yer sorry ass out here. Gonna cook us up some squirrel."

"Daryl…" Shane followed close behind him, trying to take over the situation.

He spun around, glaring and obviously not a big fan of the wolf's. "What?" He snapped.

"We gotta talk man." Shane said, stepping closer. "There was a problem in Atlanta…"

Daryl stopped, his whole body going rigid. He looked down, his tail drooping slightly. "He dead?" He asked softly.

"Not exactly…" Shane started.

"Not exactly?" Daryl sneered, his attention snapping back up to Shane. "What the fucks that mean? Either he is or he ain't."

Rick pushed through them and stopped in front of Daryl, holding up his hands. "I'll take full responsibility."

Daryl looked at him a moment. "Who the fuck are you?" You asked slowly.

"Rick Grimes."

"Rick Grimes." Daryl sneered. "You got something to tell me?"

"Your brother…" He straightened up, met Daryl's icy gaze evenly. "He was a danger to everyone. I handcuffed him on a roof. He's still there."

Daryl's eyes turned completely feral. His lips curled and he sucked in a sharp breath. "Wait a minute, let me process this. You're telling me… that you handcuffed my brother to a roof… and left him there to die?"

"Yes…"

Daryl was fast, faster than he looked. He had his knife out and was practically on Rick before anyone realized. Rick jumped back in time to avoid the knife as Shane jumped forward to grab Daryl. Shane forced him to the ground and Rick's eyes widened. Shane looked like he was seconds from snapping the angry cat's neck. "Shane!" Rick snapped. "Ease up."

Shane let out a growl and loosed his grip a bit and Daryl sucked in a large breath.

Rick eyed Shane as he knelt down. "Daryl, right?" He said, meeting Daryl's gaze. "Can we have a calm discussion about this? Think you can manage that?"

Daryl narrowed his eyes. "Yeah." He grumbled.

"What I did… wasn't on a whim." Rick said honestly. "Your brother… you know, right? He does not work well with others." Rick nodded at Shane.

Shane looked doubtful. "Ya sure, man?"

Rick nodded and Shane released him and stepped back. Daryl jumped up, glaring. "Yeah, I know." He grumbled, turning to face Rick. "Merle's a fucking asshole. But he's my brother."

"It's not Rick's fault." T-Dog said, stepping forward. "He gave me the key and I dropped it."

"Couldn't pick it up?"

T-Dog looked away. "I dropped it down a drain. But I chained the doors. And the stairway's narrow. Ain't no way enough of them get through to break that chain."

"Fuck ya'll." Daryl said louder, gesturing at them all. "Tell me where he is and I'll go get him myself."

"He'll show you." Lori came up behind them, Dale stepping aside to let her through. "Right?" She sneered. "I heard you this morning. You wake up after you just found us and the first thing you do is start planning on leaving us."

Daryl glanced at Rick, watching him.

"Lori…" Rick started forward.

She shook her head and walked off.

"Look man..." Shane rounded on him. "I know you got this… good guy complex or some shit. Think you always have to save everyone. But Merle ain't worth it."

"Hey!" Daryl snapped.

Rick held up his hand, stopping Daryl. "We'll be fine. In and out." He said with a glance at Glenn as he walked over.

"The three of you?" Shane asked. "Risking your lives?"

"Four." T-Dog said, stepping closer.

Daryl rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"You're putting everyone at risk here, Rick." Shane snapped. "You guys leave, that's less to watch the camp."

Rick shrugged. "Ya'll let six leave yesterday."

"Yeah." Shane rolled his eyes and shook his head. "And look what happened." He mumbled.

"The hell's that supposed to mean?" Rick asked.

Daryl took a step closer to Rick. "Can we just go?"

Rick shook his head slowly and breathed out. "This is happening Shane. I get it. I do. But what we really need… is guns."

Glenn's eyes widened slowly and he nodded. "The guns. I forgot about the guns."

Shane looked at Rick and he shrugged. "Cleaned out the cage back at the station. Six shotguns, two rifles, over a dozen handguns. 700 rounds, assorted." Rick smiled slightly. "That's worth going back for."

Daryl hissed.

"I mean if it weren't for Merle." Rick said, giving Daryl a reassuring glance. "Either way, I'd be going back."

Carl suddenly came running towards the group. He pushed past them and grabbed Rick's hand. "Mom said you're leaving! I don't want you to go."

_Damn you, Lori_. He sighed and bent down. "Carl…"

"Mom was right. You don't care about us." The pup mumbled under his breath.

"Carl…" Rick shook his head slowly and wrapped his arms around Carl. "That is the farthest thing from the truth. You are the one thing that matters the most to me in this entire world."

"Then why are you leaving?" Carl whispered against him.

Rick pulled away and looked Carl in the eyes. "Because someone got left behind, Carl." Rick inclined his head in Daryl's direction. "Daryl's brother got left behind. And it's my fault."

"Damn right." Daryl grumbled.

Carl glanced over at Daryl. "Sorry about your brother." He said softly. Then he threw his arms around Rick, hugging him again. "Promise you'll come back."

"I promise."

They didn't stick around to argue anymore, though Shane and Lori both certainly tried. Neither of them understood. And Rick knew neither of them ever would. But if Rick didn't at least try to save Merle… "Come on! Let's go!" Daryl shouted from the back of the van as Glenn and T-Dog jumped in. Rick rounded to the front and slipped into the driver's seat.

The drive to the city was mostly quiet. Glenn sat in the front street, directing Rick. "Pull up here. We should walk from here."

"Alright." Rick turned off the van and they all filed out. "Glenn, take the lead."

Glenn looked like he wanted to argue. But instead, he simply nodded and started forward. T-Dog followed but Daryl hung back. "Hey." Daryl said softly, not looking at him. "Sorry bout attacking you." He mumbled barely loud enough for Rick to hear. "An' thanks… fer wanting to go after Merle."

Rick smirked a bit and nodded. "Welcome." He said and they hurried to catch up with Glenn and T-Dog.

The made it to the building without incident. A few walkers in the alley, but they handled them easily with their knives and Daryl's crossbow. They snuck in through the back, careful to avoid the front of the store where the walkers had broken in the day before, and headed up the stairs.

"See?" T-Dog said as they reached the door. The door was still shut and chained. "I told you. They ain't got through."

Rick pulled out the bolt cutters they'd borrowed from Dale and snapped the padlock off. Glenn slipped the chain from the handles and pushed the door open.

"Merle." Daryl called. "Hey Merle. Came back fer ya. Merle!" Daryl ran farther out on the roof. Then he slowed as he saw it. "No! No, no, no. NO!"

Rick rushed forward, gun up. The handcuffs were dripping, covered in thick blood. Beside them, an equally bloody saw lay. And just beyond, the severed hand of Merle Dixon.

**-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-**

**Author's Notes:** Yay Daryl and Carl! Boo Lori and Shane.


	4. Vatos

This has been done for a week. I just keep forgetting to get on the computer. Flip flopping a bit between Rick and Daryl here. Yay for Daryl.

**The Walking Dead: The Shifting Dead  
><strong>**Episode 4: Vatos**

He took a deep breath, held it in for a moment, willing himself to calm down. He looked on the verge of tears but no. Not now, not in front of these pussies. He breathed out slowly and shook himself.

"Daryl…" Rick's voice was soft behind him.

Daryl shouldered his crossbow and stepped towards the bloodied hand, ignoring Rick. "You got a do-rag or something?"

T-Dog nodded and stepped forward to hand it over.

Daryl bent down and gingerly picked up the hand. He turned it over and shook his head. "Ain't that a bitch? Blade too dull for the handcuffs." He wrapped the hand up and walked towards Glenn. Glenn looked like he was about to throw up and Daryl suppressed the impulse to smile at him. He moved around Glenn and set the hand in his backpack.

T-Dog and Rick exchanged a glance but neither said anything. T-Dog shook his head and bent down to pick up Dale's tools.

Daryl took out his crossbow again and followed the trail of blood. "Must have used his belt for a tourniquet or something. Be more blood if he didn't, right?" He asked, glancing back at Rick.

Rick stepped up and nodded. "Yeah." He agreed. "I think you're right."

Daryl nodded curtly and followed the trail. Rick glanced back at Glenn and T-Dog before following a step behind the hunter. "Toughest sumbitch I know, my brother. Feed him a hammer, he'd shit out nails." They followed the trail through the building. They passed a few dead walkers which only spurred Daryl on. "Merle!" He screamed.

Rick shot forward and grabbed his arm. "We're not alone here."

Daryl wrenched him off and jumped back. "Don't touch me." He hissed.

"Sorry." Rick said, stepping back.

Daryl glared at him and pushed past them.

"Guys, come look at this." T-Dog waved them over. He was standing over a gas stove, staring at a lit burner.

Glenn leaned over, looking closer. "What's that burnt stuff?"

"Told ya he was tough." Daryl said with a smile. "That's skin. He cauterized his own wound."

Rick grimaced. Yeah, Merle Dixon was a touch one alright. And it looked like he'd escaped out the window. And Rick could tell Daryl was seconds from following him out. "Wait." He barked out forcefully and Daryl paused. "We can't just go running around, hoping we run into him. If he's alive, he'll be smart, right? Hiding, keeping away from the walkers."

Daryl shook his head. "He's my brother."

"I get that." Rick said, nodding. "I do. But we need to keep a level head. We need to get those guns first, alright? You wait that long, and I'll help you look."

Daryl looked at him, met his eyes, and nodded slowly. "I could do that."

T-Dog rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Let's get a move on it. Don't wanna be here a second longer than we need to."

They made a plan, split into teams, and headed out of the building. T-Dog and Rick would go further up the street and wait. Daryl would wait in the alley where Glenn first met Rick while Glenn ran out for the guns. If he got blocked on his way back, he'd head to T-Dog and Rick's spot and they'd all meet up at the van.

Daryl followed Glenn's lead. He could admit it, the kid was a quick thinker and a fast leaner. He dropped from the ladder and looked down the alley. He followed a step behind Glenn and they stopped behind a dumpster. "You got some balls for a Chinamen."

Glenn glanced sideways at him. "I'm Korean." He said softly.

Daryl shrugged as he loaded his crossbow. "Whatever." He watched as Glenn skirted around the side of the building and out of sight. Daryl pressed himself against the wall, waiting and listening. Footsteps behind him caught him attention and he jumped up, crossbow ready.

"Whoa!" The kid jumped back, eyes wide. "Don't shoot me!"

"Looking for my brother." Daryl said loudly, still holding the crossbow at him. "You seen him?" The kid started screaming and Daryl jumped at him, knocking him to the ground. "Shut up! You're gonna bring the geeks down on us."

Two men rounded burst through the gate at the end of the alley and before Daryl could lift his crossbow against them, he was on the ground. One of them kicked him hard and the other had a bat.

Glenn's bad luck brought him back with the guns at that moment. The two men left Daryl and jumped at Glenn. "That's the bag!" One of them yelled and they both grabbed for it. Glenn tried to fight them off and the bag was dropped in the scuffle. Daryl collected himself and was able to grab his crossbow. He shot one of them, the bolt sinking into the larger guy's ass. And then there was a car and Glenn was being taken away. Daryl jumped up, screaming. But the walkers were crowding in and he there was nothing he could do.

Except… Daryl turned, raising his crossbow to the kid. "I'mma fuck you up!"

Rick and T-Dog came running down the alley. T-Dog grabbed the kid, holding him against the wall, and Rick grabbed Daryl, pushing him back. "Chill out!" Rick said.

"They took Glenn!" Daryl snapped out. "Him and his homie friends." He snarled. "I'm gonna fucken stomp your ass!" Daryl yelling, waving his crossbow around."

"We'll get him back." Rick said. "Go!"

T-Dog grabbed the kid and pushed him down the alley. Rick bed down to grab the guns and his hat and followed behind Daryl. They went back inside the building and Daryl still wouldn't calm down. He was bouncing around the room, spouting off obscenities and threatening the kid, Miguel. He'd even taken Merle's dismembered hand and thrown it at him, threatening to do the same to his feet. Rick had to physically grab the hunter and throw him back a few times. And Daryl would surge forward and get in the kid's face again and Rick would pull him off again.

"All we want is our friend." Rick said calmly as Daryl paced behind him, hissing. "Those men, we just want to talk with them, see if we can't work something out."

Miguel's brave front was wavering. He was shaking slightly as he watched Daryl. "Yeah…" He said slowly, nodding. And then he led them to their base. They stopped outside.

"You try anything…" Daryl said, getting up in Miguel's face again. "Imma put an arrow in your ass too."

Being on his own turf seemed to bring some of his attitude back. He smiled smirked at Daryl and narrowed his eyes. "G'll take that arrow and shove it up yours."

"G?" Rick said as he stood up, trying to cut Daryl off.

"Guillermo." Miguel answered.

Rick nodded slowly and turned. "T-Dog, I want you on top with the rifle." He pointed towards a building. "Can you do that?"

T-Dog nodded, took the rifle, and headed up the fire escape.

Rick pulled the other rifle out and held it out to Daryl. Daryl shouldered his crossbow and shrugged as he grabbed the rifle. "Want me on the other building?"

Rick shook his head. "No. Behind me."

The little meeting hadn't gone as well as Rick had hoped. It hadn't gone well at all. Guillermo came out, ranting about his bag of guns. Then they had paraded Glenn out, held him to the edge of a roof, threatened to feed him to a pack of dogs. Unless they returned with Miguel and all the guns and handed them over. But something in the man's eyes didn't convince Rick. He felt like there was something else going on. Something he couldn't put his finger on.

Daryl stepped closer to him. "So you're really going to hand over the guns?"

"No." Rick said, leaning against the wall of the alley, thinking. After a moment, he pushed off the wall. "You two stay here. Keep eyes on the kid."

"What?" Daryl frowned. "Where the fuck you think you're going?"

"I'm going to sneak in and find Glenn and if that guy was telling the truth about dogs, I'm going to rip their dogs apart."

Daryl shook his head. "I don't think…"

"They're human." Rick insisted. "They won't be expecting it."

Daryl huffed, clearly not pleased. But he nodded and crossed his arms. "Come on. Dog up."

Rick smiled as he grabbed the buckle of his holster. He pulled it off and held it out to Daryl. "Keep an eye on that for me."

Daryl rolled his eyes and threw it over his shoulder.

Rick turned slowly and made quick work of unbuttoning his shirt. He kicked off his shoes and dropped his shirt on top. The change was instant. One second Rick was standing there, shirtless, the next, a large tan and black German Shepherd was stepping out of the pile of pants.

"Wait a minute." Daryl said, stepping towards him. "If yer supposed to be a normal, mangy mutt scavenging on the streets, we gotta do something about that clean coat.

Rick snorted and shook his head.

Daryl smiled as he knelt down in front of the large dog. He dug his fingers into the ground and pulled up a handful of dirt. Rick seemed to glare at him and flashed his teeth, but he sat down and let Daryl rub the dirt into his fur. He moved around Rick and rubbed more along his back. Tail, paws, muzzle, Daryl rubbed dirt all over. Then he stood up and stepped back. "Okay. That may be a bit too much. Shake it."

Rick snorted again and shook himself. A cloud of dirt rose from his coat.

T-Dog laughed. "Yeah, too much."

Rick sneezed and shook his head.

"Stay." Daryl said and Rick stood still. He pulled out his knife. "Stay." He repeated and bent forward. He grabbed one of Rick's ears and carefully shaved a patch of fur off. He nicked a bit off his snout and neck and stood up. He slipped the knife back in its sheath.

Rick let out a whine as he rubbed his nose on his leg.

Daryl rolled his eyes. "The fur'll grow back. Stop being a baby."

T-Dog shrugged. "You do look like a mangy mutt now. If they have any shifters on their team, they'd be fooled. If you can act like a dog."

Rick opened his mouth and panted as he nodded his head.

Daryl smiled and waved. "Run along, little doggy."

Rick turned and ran down the alley. He made his way back to Guillermo's base and skirted around it, looking for a way in. He cut down another alley running along it. The walls were high, too high for him to see anything. He jumped onto a dumpster and was able to peer over the edge of the wall. Just over it, there was an open window in the side of the building. Rick pulled himself over the wall and dropped to the ground. He scrambled into the open window and down to the floor.

It looked like a bedroom. There was a bed and a dresser, a mirror on the wall, and what looked like a heart monitor. But it was empty. He slinked over to the open door and peaked out into the hall. An old lady sat in a wheelchair. She looked over at him and smiled. "Hey boy." Rick walked over to her and she leaned forward to pet his head. She ran her hands over his ears. "Oh you poor thing! Felipe, Felipe!"

"Abuela." The man entered the hall and headed towards them. "What… Abuela!"

She smiled, her hand still on Rick's ears, and waved her grandson over. "Get some water for the poor thing."

"Abuela, be careful!"

"Oh stop worrying." She said with a smile. "He don't bite."

Rick bit back the urge to growl as the man came closer. This was one of the men who attacked Daryl and grabbed Glenn. He opened his mouth and panted slightly, trying to play doggy.

Felipe watched them for a moment longer before he shook his head and stepped away.

Rick waited until the man was gone and then put his nose to the ground. He inhaled deeply. Glenn was here. And he was still alive. And all these people… he padded away from the old woman, looking around. The old people, hunched over in chairs… the white walls, the medical equipment… it was a nursing home. These people… they were…

Glenn! Rick bounded towards his new friend, tail wagging wildly despite himself. Glenn was sitting in the corner of a large, open room, magazine in hand. People were littered around the room, some reaching out towards him or cooing at him. He ran straight towards Glenn and let out a soft bark as he sat down beside him.

Glenn set the magazine down in his lap and smiled at the dog. "Hey boy." Rick rested his nose against Glenn's knee and Glenn reached out and scratched behind his ears. Rick leaned into gesture, letting the dog mind take over for a moment. Then he tilted his head and blinked and suddenly Glenn's eyes narrowed. He tilted his head slightly and a smile spread across his face. "Rick?" He whispered. "Is that you?"

Rick lifted his head, nodded once, and laid back down. Glenn shook his head, still smiling, and continued to scratch behind Rick's ears. "It's all an act." Glenn said softly, leaning closer to him. "They're taking care of all the old people here. Like a nursing home or something. These aren't bad guys."

Rick breathed out and blinked. Yeah, he could see that. These people didn't look like doctors. They were fighting and risking their lives… he wanted to help. He needed to help them. He stood up and backed away from Glenn.

Glenn watched him. "I'm staying here, aren't I?"

Rick nodded.

Glenn sighed and leaned back. "But you're coming right back."

Rick nodded again and turned. He ran back to the window he'd come in, avoiding and ignoring anyone who tried to stop him. He scrambled back out the window and hurried to where Daryl and T-Dog waited for him. Rick stopped as he stepped around the corner and looked down the alley.

Daryl was sitting, leaning against the wall, with Rick's hat on his head and Rick's gun in his hands. His tail was curled around his legs, the tip twitching slightly.

Rick opened his mouth and panted loudly, laughing on the inside.

Daryl jerked up, knocking the hat off. "Shut the fuck up."

Rick walked towards him, snorting and shaking his head.

Daryl looked past him, watching the alley, and frowned. "Glenn not with you?"

Rick shook his head.

Daryl groaned and turned his back on him. "Man up so you can tell me what the fuck happened. I don't speak dog."

Rick's lips curled as he padded towards his pile of clothes. A few beats later, he was pulling his pants up over his hips. He bent down and grabbed his shirt. He pulled it on, buttoned it up, and shook himself. He looked over at Daryl. Something about this man already fascinated him. Something about his hard icy eyes or the intense way he held his crossbow or the long curl of his tail…

Rick tilted his head slightly. "Daryl, is that a bandanna tied to your tail?"

The man spun around, a glare on his face. His tail lashed behind him and he sneered. "Ain't none of your fucken business, my tail. Keep your eyes on your own."

Rick held up his hands and shrugged, suppressing the urge to smile. Daryl really was a hot and cold one.

T-Dog came walking down the alley towards them. He breathed out a sigh of relief at seeing Rick. "You're back. Just about to ask Daryl if we should go in after you guys. Where's Glenn?"

Rick sighed as he slipped his belt back on and grabbed his hat. "It's a nursing home. They're protecting the patients. Glenn was never in any danger." He breathed out and shook his head.

Daryl huffed and shook his head. He adjusted the strap of his crossbow and turned slightly. "So why don't he just fucken come out?"

Rick ran a hand through his hair and rubbed at the back of his neck. "I want to help them."

Daryl rolled his eyes. "Course you fucken do."

"How?" T-Dog asked.

Rick shrugged. "Give them a chance to do the right thing."

Daryl rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Well get on wit it then."

They grabbed the kid and headed down the street. This time, the three of them were heavily armed as they stormed inside. "Guillermo!" Rick called out.

T-Dog was on Rick's left and Daryl fell in on the right, leading Miguel. "Keep quiet." Daryl hissed to the kid.

Miguel nodded. "Yeah, yeah. I know."

Guillermo appeared, dragging with him a group of armed men. "I see my guns, though not all of them are in my bag."

"Not your guns." Rick said evenly. "Not your bag. Now…" He paused for a moment. "I'm going to give you one more chance."

Guillermo frowned. "One more chance to what?"

Rick lowered his gun and stepped closer to Guillermo. "One more chance to tell me the truth."

Guillermo faltered for a moment. "Truth… about what?" He asked slowly.

Rick breathed out and shook his head. "About what you do here, about what you protect here."

Guillermo turned to Felipe and Jorge. Rick glanced back at Daryl and nodded and Daryl lowered the rifle. Rick looked at Miguel and gestured him forward. "Go on."

Guillermo watched the short exchange and clapped Miguel on the shoulder. "You alright?"

Miguel nodded. "They're not bad people. G."

Guillermo nodded slowly. "Alright. You know." He waved at them. "Come on, we'll get your friend."

Rick nodded and the three of them followed close behind as Guillermo let them inside. Rick smiled to himself as they passed the room where he snuck in.

Daryl glanced at him sideways. "What you fucken grinning for?"

Rick shook his head. "Nothing.".

Glenn was still sitting in the same chair, holding the same magazine. He stood up and waved, seeing them. "Hey guys."

"You okay?" Daryl asked, looking him up and down.

Glenn nodded. "Yeah."

Rick pulled Guillermo aside. "You threatened Glenn… we were ready to kill every one of you to get him back." Rick said softly. "That blood would have been on my hands."

"Mine too." Guillermo insisted. "We would have fought back." He shrugged. "You threatened Miguel and shot Felipe."

"Attacked us first." Daryl muttered.

Guillermo smiled. "I'm glad it didn't go down that way. But… we have to protect the food and the medicine."

Rick breathed out a sigh and nodded slowly. "We can understand that."

"How did you know?" Guillermo asked suddenly.

Rick smiled. "I snuck in about twenty minutes ago."

Felipe's eyes widened and he smiled. He turned and slapped Jorge in the back of the head. "I told you there was a dog."

Rick chuckled softly.

Guillermo nodded. "How'd you get in?"

"I can show you. I'm a minute. Here." He turned and held his hand out to Daryl. Daryl rolled his eyes and handed the rifle over. Rick knew what the man was thinking. They needed the guns for themselves. But would a couple really be that big of a loss? He turned to Guillermo and held the rifle out to him.

Guillermo shook his head.

"Take it." Rick insisted.

"Thank you." Guillermo took the rifle.

Rick pulled the bag off his shoulder and set it on a desk. He unzipped it and began pulling a few guns and ammo boxes out. Then as promised, Rick showed them how he snuck in. Glenn, master of making runs, drew them a quick map of places he used, places they could get supplies to help them.

Finally, they were on their way back. They all were beginning to tire, Rick most of all. He still hadn't regained his strength yet from the months he lay stagnant on that hospital bed. He was moving slower than the rest, Glenn and T-Dog several yards in front.

Daryl had stopped and turned back towards him, waiting. "Gave away half our guns." He muttered.

"Not nearly half." Rick said. "It was the right thing to do."

"Yeah, yeah." Daryl nodded his head.

Rick stopped as he caught up with Daryl, standing a few feet from him. "I'm sorry about your brother." Rick said softly. "I really am."

"S'okay. I know."

"We'll come back tomorrow." Rick offered. "You and me. We'll find him." He insisted.

Daryl was looking at the ground. He kicked at a rock and shrugged.

"Guys!" Glenn's voice stopped them. Rick and Daryl hurried to catch up with Glenn and T-Dog. And they saw what stopped Glenn.

"Where's the van?" Rick asked. This was where they left it.

"Musta been Merle." Daryl muttered. "Or someone else."

"Shit." Rick turned and shook his head. Why couldn't they catch a break today? He just wanted to get back to his pup.

T-Dog turned, looking down the road they needed to take. "We walking then?"

Rick shook his head. "We took too long. We walk back, we ain't making it halfway before it's too dark to keep going."

Daryl nodded. "S'right. An' we ain't no good 'ginst then in dark."

Rick let out a sigh. "I promised Dale the hose from the van. He needs it for the RV."

"So… we double back to that construction site?" Glenn asked. "See if we can find another one?"

Rick nodded. "I think that would be best."

Glenn tried to argue, wanting to go alone. But Rick didn't want them to split up again. It hadn't gone well the first time and he didn't want to stay away from Carl any longer than necessary. They found another van without incident and once again, were on their way back. Despite the van, it was starting to darken when they got closer to the camp. Rick was upfront, the bag of guns on the seat beside him. Glenn, T-Dog, and Daryl were sitting in the back, silent in the darkening space.

A scream split the air. Glenn was the first to react. "Did you hear that?"

Daryl jumped up and lunged for the back door. He ripped it open, Glenn and T-Dog a step behind him. Rick grabbed the gun bag and jumped out, barely stopping the van. Chaos and screams erupted around them. Glenn, T-Dog, and Daryl grabbed guns from the bag. Rick pulled his own out and they started shooting.

Everywhere. They were everywhere. How did so many walkers get there so quickly? They hadn't seen any on the road, hadn't seen any the night before. Just the single one this morning. "Carl." Rick called out. "Lori?"

"Dad!"

Rick pushed through, seeking out that voice. Lori and Carl were pinned against the RV behind Shane. Carol and Sophia were beside them. "In the RV!" He barked out. The four of them slipped inside at his voice and Shane glanced at Rick, his expression volatile. Rick didn't spare a second to think about Shane's radiating hatred. He grabbed one of the loaded handguns from the bag and shoved it towards Shane. Rick pulled more out as Morales and Jim appeared behind him.

Andrea dragged her shaken sister over and shoved a gun in her hands. "Safety off." She said, glancing at Rick. With the loaded guns passed out among them, they finally were able to pick off all the walkers.

Rick was breathing hard, leaning over slightly. He took a deep breath and straightened up. He shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. "What happened?" He asked.

Shane rounded on Rick, knocking him to the ground. "This is your fault." He screamed.

Rick frowned up at him as he pushed himself up on his elbows. "What?"

"This is all on you." Shane continued. "I told you not to go."

Rick's eyes widened slowly. The waves of anger and hatred spilling off Shane clouded his head. His fault? It was his fault? Rick swallowed and looked down at the ground.

"Hey." Daryl snapped. He pushed in between them, knocking Shane back a step. "Fuck off."

Shane stumbled a bit, caught off guard. He glared down at Rick, pushing against Daryl. "This is all on you." He spat out.

Daryl pushed against him again. "Back the fuck off."

"Shane!" Lori's voice rang out. She ran up to him and pulled him back. "What the hell are you doing? Stop it!"

Shane looked at her and his face softened. He turned and let her pulled him away.

Daryl turned and looked down at Rick. He crossed his arms and let out a sigh. "Come on, Sherriff. Get up. Go sleep. Deal with this all tomorrow."

Rick shook his head. "M'taking first watch." He mumbled, not moving.

Daryl nodded and waved the others away when they came with concern. He sunk down a few feet away.

**-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-**

**Author's Notes:** Maaaaan. I can't WAIT until I get to where they find Sophia. There's one scene I want to write SO BAD! Also… to those lucky enough to watch season 5, please refrain from mentioning it to me. XD Because I'm a looser without cable and only have Netflix. So (other than the first episode that AMC has on their website), I won't get to watch the new season until next year when it gets added to Netflix. Which makes me sad.


End file.
